Page 65 - Australian Defence Magazine June 2022

JUNE 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
FROM THE SOURCE WARREN MCDONALD 65
bility?” Yes. We’ve demonstrated that and other technolo- gies in Australia that are truly sovereign and not ITAR. So, once you start to blend the streams of American technology and intellectual property, that’s where it becomes a compli- cated space to work through.
Initially there’ll be a growth path to get things moving and there will be ITAR issues because Australia wants to manufacture in-service weapons. You can’t really sidestep that but as Australia progresses the Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise and builds the knowledge and engi- neering expertise, then we could develop capabilities free of ITAR.
ADM: What will a sovereign weapons capability look like? MCDONALD: It will take a little bit of time for it to set up, it’s a complex endeavour. You’re bringing in virtually every aspect of Fundamental Inputs to Capability while dealing with energetics and highly sensitive technology. And then you want to bring it into Australia, and you want to manu- facture it.
It’s not something that’s been done here before. I’m not being harsh, just realistic, we’ve done bombs and bullets, but we haven’t really in this country been into the highly sophisticated aspects of it. Sovereign Guided Weapons has the opportunity to change that. The intent is exceptional, I applaud Government and Defence, both have been mov- ing as fast as humanly possible to get things in place and they’ve been exceptional in their communication and driv-
ABOVE: Warren McDonald took over the role as Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand in October 2021
LEFT: More than half of the 72 F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters being acquired by the RAAF have already been delivered
ing for outcomes. We’ll need all that drive, and we’ll need all of that relationship to establish the enterprise.
What will it look like in the future? I think a country like Australia, which has the geography and ranges for testing is a rare combination. We also have the intellectual capacity to put towards supporting the GWEO Enterprise. I look at Australian companies, and how their capabilities could be brought quite readily into it. We come from a low base. We can get to a high base, but we’ll need to maintain strategic patience, not be diverted off track and there will be a cost to sovereignty, there always is. We will just have to be very clear on our objectives, be willing to accept risk and have the patience for it to develop and produce. That’s the only way. If we become impatient, we risk an enterprise and we risk a sovereign outcome for Australia.
ADM: How do you intend to foster relationships with SMEs?
MCDONALD: Most of our SME relationships are fostered through our Office of Industrial Participation, led by Chris Hess, who with his team do environmental scans of Austra- lian industry to find companies with exceptional technologies.
We also provide support to Australian companies through our Mentor Protégé program.
That’s where we identify companies to participate in the program to help them upskill, better prepare proposals and understand markets, so that they are ready to grasp opportunities with Primes. Clearbox Systems was the first
LOCKHEED MARTIN AUSTRALIA